Interview!

Interviews are so much fun. Today I get to be a guest on Natalie Monk's blog!

If you'd like a chance to win a free book or find out what actors I'd choose to play Erik and Anna in a movie of The Journey of Eleven Moons make sure to stop by and say hello at - athttp://sweetsouthblog.blogspot.com/2014/02/bonnie-leon-interview.html?showComment=1392931189316#c4769836856474196905

Grace and peace to you from God,

Bonnie

The Journey - Greatest Gift

Last night, my family celebrated my birthday two days early. The grandkids' schedules are full of activities so yesterday was the only day we could all get together without them missing practice or being forced to make a choice between me and the team. I love that my grandchildren are learning that making a commitment and sticking to it is important.

My husband and I, our children and grandchildren and my mother gathered at a local pizza place in town. We shared laughter, lots of food and I got to open gifts. My mother watched, smiling the whole time. Her face radiated joy. Soon her eyes filled with tears and she said, "What did I do to deserve such a wonderful family?"

I was a bit taken back. I was the recipient of my family's love and I hadn't given it all that much thought. But my mother didn't miss it. All she could see was the love and beauty of being part of a family who cares for one another. Everyone there had done something to contribute to the celebration. Even my mother handed out coins so her great-grandchildren could play games in the arcade and then she had me take her to watch the game playing. 

Mom is so right. We are blessed. 

My family is not perfect. We've made all kinds of mistakes in our lives and there will be lots more. But, we love each other. And I know that no matter what we face we'll do it together. Love isn't about perfection and when I think about my family I'm reminded of the book of I Corinthians, chapter thirteen - the love chapter.

Nothing is of any value without love. It's pretty clear to me that I possess everything in this world that really matters because I'm surrounded by people who know how to love one another. They even love me.

True riches are given by the Lord and the greatest gift is love.

Grace and peace to you from God,

Bonnie 

Quiet Moments With God - Do you need a bit and bridle?

I think mules are so cute. But I'd rather not be compared to one.

This morning when I sat down and read my morning devotional, Jesus Calling, the words on the page nudged me. I went to the suggested scripture reading and that's when I found out more about mules.

Psalm 32:8-11 says this, "The Lord says, "I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you. Do not be like a senseless horse or mule that needs a bit and bridle to keep it under control. Many sorrows come to the wicked, but unfailing love surrounds those who trust the Lord. So rejoice in the Lord and be glad, all you who obey him! Shout for joy, all you whose hearts are pure!"

Do any of you feel like a mule that needs a bit and bridle? I hate to admit it, but I do . . . too often. Did you notice the part that says mules are senseless? Sigh. I know when I read that, that God is referring to people like me who get stubborn and want their own way. 

There was a time when self discipline (God's discipline) was one of my strengths. Now, most days, I struggle to do what I know is best for me. I am truly grateful for God's mercy, but I understand that being merciful doesn't always release me from the consequences of my sin. God wants better for me - if only I would obey. His Word says He will advise me and watch over me, and that He doesn't want me to be like a senseless horse or mule. 

It goes on to say that disobedience brings sorrow. But adds that those who obey will be surrounded with His unfailing love. What a beautiful promise. I'm so thankful for His love.

My life is good, but it could be better, richer, sweeter. He offers each of us SO much . . . if only we will listen. 

God has a BEST for me. He has a BEST for you.

This morning, I pray for ears that will hear and a heart that submits to His tender guidance. And I pray that my brothers and sisters in Christ will not have to be bridled, but will find freedom and joy in obedience, knowing that Jesus is Lord of all.

Grace and peace to you from God,

Bonnie   

The Journey - Searching For Happiness

If you want to find happiness reach for the Son. 

It sounds easy, but is it?









Sometimes it seems the world has given up on hope. It's decided joy doesn't exist. Sorrow is all around us. The headlines shout out the latest suicide, drug overdose or heartbreak. When I'm out and about I see worry, hopelessness and sorrows of every kind. 

Why? We have everything . . . don't we?

We are rich materially, but it's not the richness that provides joy. Clearly wealth does not bring happiness. Even the wealthiest among us destroy their lives by choosing alcohol, drugs and ruinous living. 

We are a bankrupt society. Our souls are empty because the god of me has replaced the Great I Am. The god of me is a false god. We will never find happiness in ourselves.

The true God, the creator of all the heavens and the earth is the only one who can fill our hearts. Even in the midst of great crisis He is there. True happiness is found in a relationship with the Lord of Lords who loves us beyond reason and who will never forsake us.

This morning I went to the book of James and discovered treasure.

Chapter One, Verses 2 - 4 say, "When troubles come your way consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.

This is not what the world teaches. Embrace troubles? How can you know joy when the days are dark? I have been mired in more than one dark pit in my lifetime. It is a terrible place to be. But each time, the Lord lifted me out of the pit and when I looked into His face I knew joy had not been lost.

I ask, "Do you know any other way to grow our faith? If we have nothing to believe for how will we learn to believe?"

Verses 6 - 8 say, "But when you ask him be sure your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind."  

There are dire consequences to being a wave tossed about in the sea. Verse 9 tells us that, "Such people should not expect to receive anything from the Lord."

Do you feel like a wave that is tossed about by the world's storms? A wave is unstable. And if our faith is being tossed hither and yon, can we expect to receive anything from the Lord?

What are we to do? Verse 12 gives the answer. "God blesses those who patiently endure testing and temptation. Afterward they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love Him."

We can be happy, for the joy God offers is planted deeply in our spirits. It affects everything we do, everything we think. In the worst of times the joy of the Lord remains. 

I want to shout - "Trust Him! You are not forsaken. You are loved."

Happiness is right in front of us. To find it, all we have to do is to stop looking for it inside ourselves and look at the broader, deeper joy offered to us when we walk with the Lord.

Grace and peace to you from God,

Bonnie

Quiet Moments With God - In the Middle of a Muddle

Sometimes our days seem to be filled with decisions. We have choices - what will I have for breakfast - which book should I read next - do I really want to watch American Idol? Of course having choices is better than not having choices. And the ones I've mentioned don't affect our lives much one way or the other, but there are decisions that are truly major and even life changing.

Just as no two people are the same, neither are the ways in which we make decisions. Take baking a cake, for instance. Some like to weigh and measure every ingredient while others simply toss in the elements and trust that the results will be good.

I live somewhere in the middle of those two options. Probably most of us do. However, I presently find myself befuddled. I've got a relatively big decision to make about a writing project, one I've invested hundreds of hours of my time. The results of all my hard work were not what my agent or I had expected and now I need to decide what to do about what we both feel is an amazing story. 

At this point, all I know to do is to talk to God about it. I think back to the day when I felt called to this project. I was certain it was the Lord's will for me, but like us all my heart and mind can be misled. No matter how I got here I am in a quandary.

Wrestling through this decision I found myself in the midst of 1 Corinthians, specifically verses 1:18 - 2:5. Powerful verses. 

Paul speaks about God's wisdom versus the wisdom of the world. Verse 20 says, "Where is the wise man? Where is the scholar? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?" And then in 2:4-5 he says, "My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit's power, so that your faith might not rest on men's wisdom, but on God's power."

Wow. There he goes again. The apostle Paul always speaks right to my heart. 

But I still don't know what to do specifically about this project. I guess I'd better begin by resting in God's power not man's wisdom. And not my wisdom.

I do not have an answer to my dilemma, but I know who to listen to if I want to find the right direction. Certainly seeking wise counsel is a good thing, but ultimately I need to rest in the Lord - wait on Him to show me the way I should go.

While I wait, leaning on The One who knows the beginning and the end of all things I'm asking for your prayers.

Grace and peace to you from God,

Bonnie